The Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization on Saturday Johnson & Johnson to distribute their single-dose coronavirus vaccine. According to data reviewed by the agency, the pharmaceutical and consumer goods giant’s jab proved 66% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in clinical trials against the virus, although less effective against the South African variant. It was also 85 percent effective in circumventing serious infections and offered “complete protection” against death from hospitalization by COVID-19. Although the pharmaceutical company is expected to start small – with 20 million doses sent by the end of March and 100 million by the end of June – the vaccine is seen as easier to use and store than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which required two doses and had to be frozen.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said on Saturday that Americans should not decide not to get the J&J vaccine because they consider its effectiveness to be inferior. Inoculation was still 100 percent effective in preventing death in the trial participants who received it, unlike the placebo group.
“Do not necessarily stick to the numbers game, because it is a very good vaccine, and what we need is as many good vaccines as possible. Instead of looking at the difference between 94 and 72, accept the fact that you now have three highly effective vaccines. Period, ”he said.
The approval of the third vaccine comes just days after the country reached the devastating death toll of 500,000 people. Experts also warn that a recent decline in COVID cases could lead to a false sense of security and premature easing of restrictions at a time when new emerging variants of the virus pose a greater risk. With that in mind, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen as a crucial way to bolster defenses at a critical time. “This one-dose regimen offers important logistical and practical advantages for mass vaccination campaigns. It can lead to the ability to achieve individual and collective immunity more quickly, ”said Gregory Poland, director of the vaccine research group at the Mayo Clinic and a paid consultant at Johnson & Johnson who presented the vaccine to the FDA. “Essentially, it simplifies the process. People just need to make an appointment for the full vaccination. “